Chat with Pat

 

“Chat with Pat” is where FOCM Executive Director Pat Zagelow shares a few of her thoughts and stories.

 

 

Apr 2025: A Highlight Indeed

Being in the arts management business for so many years (34 years and counting!) I frequently get asked about the highlights of my career. That’s a really tough question, especially since Friends of Chamber Music presents some of the very best chamber music in the world, the same extraordinary ensembles who perform in prestigious venues like Zankel Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, and the Konzerthaus in Vienna.

Even after all these years I still get goosebumps when the lights go down at the beginning of every FOCM concert. I have to pinch myself to remind myself how lucky I am. How can I really say one concert is better than another when the artistic quality is so consistently high? Yet, there are times when I know that I’m experiencing something truly extraordinary— and the recent Shostakovich Festival with the Jerusalem Quartet was one of those times. The first time we presented the Jerusalem Quartet to perform all the Shostakovich quartets was in 2013 and it was a very special event—one I was very proud to be a part of. Asking the Jerusalem Quartet to perform this cycle again was a risk. Would anyone come to hear all 15 quartets again?  Performed by the same quartet that performed them 12 years ago? But by the second concert I knew this was to be one of those extraordinary experiences.

A string quartet cycle is a huge undertaking for both the performers and the audience. It is a journey that explores the composer’s evolution over many years and can leave you with a deeper understanding of the music and the context in which it was written. It is often described as a marathon, not a sprint. In the case of Shostakovich, his quartets are intimately intertwined with the arc of his life, composed in the shadow of Soviet censorship, personal grief, and profound inner conflict. The quartets span an extraordinary range: from biting irony and grotesque humor to wrenching grief and stark stillness. I can’t imagine another ensemble performing these quartets with a deeper understanding, meaning, and artistic excellence than the Jerusalem Quartet.  I will forever be grateful for this incredible experience—truly one of the highlights of my long career.

Dec 2024: To applaud, or not to applaud?

To applaud, or not to applaud? That was the question posed to me by several patrons at our recent vocal concerts, and to tell you the truth, I wasn’t quite sure what to tell those folks. It can be confusing, especially in vocal concerts, when it’s appropriate to applaud. In Mozart and Beethoven’s time audiences would think nothing about applauding whenever the spirit moved them. It’s only been since the mid-nineteenth century that the idea of holding applause until the end of a multi-movement piece developed. And of course, this question becomes even more confusing for jazz buffs when they are at a classical music concert since they are used to applauding during a jazz performance whenever (and however often) they like!

For those of you who will be in the audience for the upcoming VOCES8 concert, you can take heart knowing that VOCES8 has taken all the guess work out of this question by indicating “applause welcome” in between their groupings of songs on the program page. But frankly, that kind of explicit guidance is rare on the programs we receive from artist managements. Usually we are presented with program pages that group some songs together, which is a hint to hold your applause until the end of each grouping —  but not actually direct guidance.  That’s especially true if there are several songs that are clearly part of a song cycle since generally applause should be held until after the last song in the cycle. But I’m the first to admit these groupings on program pages are not crystal clear.

Some artists give the audience clues about applause by their body language, so if they make eye contact and give the audience a big smile at the end of a song, that usually means that’s a good time for applause.

I talked to both amarcord and Erin Morley about this question at their recent concerts, and offered to make an announcement from the stage about when to applaud (or not), but they all said they weren’t bothered at all by the applause throughout the programs. The person sitting next to you may be annoyed if you applaud after every song, but I don’t think it’s ever going to be viewed negatively by an artist (although they do appreciate applause being held back during quiet, introspective moments). I think the bottom line is that audiences applaud because they want to show their appreciation and enthusiasm for the performance and that’s never a bad thing.

So I say, if music be the food of love, clap on!

Aug 2024: Archeology Discoveries

I have to admit that bright spots in the weeks leading up to our recent office move were few and far between, especially while wading through heaps of paper files that I was determined not to cart over to the new office. One of our dear volunteers and I culled through boxes and boxes of records during those weeks, and much to our delight, along the way we found a few treasures. 

Such as, a November 1941 Reed College Quest article about Bela Bartok’s visit to campus to lecture and perform. I can’t help but think that FOCM’s founder Reed College Professor Rex Arragon had something to do with making that auspicious event happen, since one of the first concerts FOCM presented in October 1939 was the famed Budapest String Quartet performing Bartok’s Quartet No. 2. What a thrill it must have been to welcome the composer himself to town a few years later.

FOCM’s inaugural concert was actually a few months earlier on January 20, 1939 and was hailed by The Oregonian as “the start of a new and promising series of programs in this intimate form.”  Well, here we are 85 years later and that promising little series of programs has blossomed into three distinct series — Classic, Beyond Classic, and Vocal Arts, having presented more than 300 ensembles in over 850 concerts, performing more than 700 different pieces of music throughout our history.

In those first years of FOCM concerts music students were admitted to concerts for $.44 and full adult admission was $1.10.  Now, before you complain about the cost of concert tickets today, remember that a typical string quartet fee in the 1940s was less than $500. Compare that to fees that can be over $30,000 today!

I find myself wondering if 85 more years down the road someone is going to look back at FOCM’s history and be awed by the fact that FOCM had the foresight to co-commission Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s “Flow” in 2023 for the Takács Quartet. Or appreciate the leap of faith FOCM took in 2013 to present a Shostakovich string quartet cycle in Portland for the first time.  Or be impressed how many times FOCM has presented the adventurous Kronos Quartet over the years. Only 85 years down the road the discoveries will likely be through AI, not musty newspaper clippings!

Mar 2024: Riddle Me This

Riddle me this:  What string quartet has FOCM presented nine times since 1995? OK, that’s not really fair because there could be several that fit that bill, so let’s narrow that down.  How about a string quartet that has received more than 40 awards, has made more than 70 recordings, and has commissioned more than 1,000 works?  OK, you’re getting warmer now.  How about a string quartet that, for the last 50 years, has reimagined what the string quartet experience can be? You guessed it —  Kronos Quartet!

I’ll be the first one to admit that Kronos is not to everyone’s liking. I’ve been asked more than once over the years why we keep inviting this string quartet back. Well, let me direct you back to my riddle for a hint about that.

Kronos is one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time and rock stars of contemporary classical music. Established in 1973, Kronos has pioneered the transformation of the string quartet into a dynamic and responsive art form, resonating with contemporary themes and concerns.  While FOCM totally honors the heritage of Western European chamber music — and we program plenty of Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms on our concerts to show that — we also believe music should be ever evolving, interactive, and fluid. Kronos has led that charge for the last 50 years, and their Five Decades Project both celebrates that past and helps propel chamber music into the future.

Thanks to generous support from this community’s favorite arts patron Ronni Lacroute, FOCM is a Lead Partner in the Kronos Five Decades Project this year, which, among other things, gave FOCM the opportunity to co-commission ten new pieces of music, some of which Kronos will be performing on April 9. I asked Ronni what particularly appealed to her about supporting this project and here is what she had to say: “I felt it important to support Kronos because of the enormous role that this quartet has played in the commissioning of new work from contemporary composers. As a fan of contemporary music, I am grateful to Kronos for giving living composers so many opportunities to add to the classical canon.”

I’ve always loved John Birge’s daily message on “Composers Datebook” (which, by the way,  you can hear on All Classical Radio at 9 am and 6 pm):  “Reminding you that all music was once new.”  In case we lose perspective that Beethoven’s music was “new” in his time, Kronos Quartet is there to remind us.

Dec 2023: A Musical Wish for a Joyous Season

Dear Santa,

Season’s Greetings from all of us at Friends of Chamber Music! We hope this letter finds you and Mrs. Claus in good health and high spirits at the North Pole. As the year draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible support we’ve received and share our heartfelt wishes for the future. All the unwavering support and generosity throughout the year has allowed us to continue our mission of bringing the gift of music to our community.

We know you’re always watching, but wanted to remind you that we’ve been really good this year! The last 12 months have been filled with beautiful moments and milestones for our organization. We are profoundly thankful for the talented musicians, dedicated volunteers, and passionate supporters who have made it all possible. Together, we’ve witnessed the transformative power of music in fostering joy, healing, and unity.

As we reflect on the past year, we can’t help but be inspired by the resilience of our community. Despite the challenges we’ve faced, music has been a constant source of solace and strength. It has reminded us that, even in the face of adversity, the universal language of music has the power to bring people together and create a sense of belonging.
Looking ahead, we have a heartfelt wish for the future. We dream of a world where every person, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the joy and enrichment that music brings. With continued support, we hope to expand our outreach programs, provide musical education to under served communities, and create opportunities for aspiring musicians to pursue their passion.

Santa, we believe in the magic of music to inspire positive change, and we are committed to making a lasting impact. Your support has been instrumental in our journey, and we hope that you’ll continue to be a guiding light for us in the coming years. Wishing you Happy Holidays filled with the joy of music and the warmth of love.

With gratitude and festive cheer,
Pat Zagelow, Executive Director

Aug 2023: In Memory of Harold Gray

Never in a million years would I have had the courage to approach the esteemed Professor of Piano at PSU back in 1979, if it weren’t for a brief conversation I had with Lawrence Smith (then music director of the Oregon Symphony) who suggested I study with Harold.  My audition with Harold was a disaster, but for some reason he took me on as a private student. Little did I know then this man would become one of the most influential people in my life.

I was fortunate enough to study piano with Harold for 10 years as a private student and then at the age of 39 I enrolled as a music major at PSU and benefited from three more years under his tutelage. I was the envy of all my musical friends, as Harold was considered one of, if not, THE piano teacher in town. Still today, when I sit down at the piano I hear Harold’s voice offering invaluable words of wisdom on how to make a certain musical passage better or how to play a difficult chord. Harold didn’t just make vague suggestions like “play with more feeling,” as a previous piano teacher of mine had done. He actually demonstrated techniques to help his students improve. Of course, that makes sense because he was such a fine pianist himself. On occasion I would have the privilege of turning pages for Harold during his Florestan Trio performances. For me, those were invaluable opportunities to learn even more from him by observing his playing up close.

While I attribute much of my facility at the keyboard to Harold, I also owe him my career as an arts administrator. I’ll never forget when I told Harold that I wanted to enroll as a student at PSU to complete a music degree. He asked me what I wanted to do after I received that degree, and I answered something along the lines of wanting to combine my years of experience running a small business with music. He immediately said, “Oh, you mean arts management,” to which I replied, “Sounds good. What is it?” After my graduation, Harold pretty much single handedly arranged my selection as Executive Director (“Manager” at that time) of both the PSU Piano Recital Series (later Portland Piano International) and Friends of Chamber Music, starting me on a path of arts management which has now lasted for more than 30 years. Harold was a master at seeing the potential in people and helping to steer them in the right direction. I’m so fortunate to be one of those people who benefited from his foresight and mentorship.

While working alongside Harold at Portland Piano International for 17 years, I was constantly amazed at his infinite knowledge of pianists, old and new, and his impeccable artistic taste. It was clear to me that he, and his beloved series, were well respected throughout the country. Just last year I had the privilege of interviewing the iconic pianist Richard Goode, who Harold presented on his piano series many years ago. One of the first things Mr. Goode asked me in our conversation was how Harold was doing, even though he hadn’t seen or talked to him for probably 20 years. Harold’s reputation was (and still is) legendary among pianists.

One of Harold’s dreams was to build on his wonderful piano series to develop a summer festival with an educational focus that could benefit all the amazing piano teachers in our area. His incredible knowledge of pianists coupled with his creative vision led to the creation of a piano festival that rivaled any in the piano world. I felt so privileged to help him implement that vision, and I think some of his proudest moments were seeing the joy that festival brought to the community.

“Gracious” and “true gentleman” will always be words we associate with Harold, but there are so many more: teacher, mentor, visionary, artist, for a few — and most of all, friend. You will be sorely missed, dear friend.

This tribute also published in Oregon Artswatch

April 2023: A Friend in Need

Signs of spring are starting to pop up here and there, and thank goodness, because I’m not sure I can take any more wintry drama. If you attended the Danish String Quartet concert on January 24 in Lincoln Performance Hall, you had a front row seat to some of the drama. After a fabulous first half of the concert and a brief intermission, the Danish String Quartet was backstage tuning up in preparation for the second half of the performance when cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjöliny heard an unwelcome “pop” – yes, the dreaded sound of a broken string. No biggie, right? Of course, a touring string quartet brings extra strings just for such incidents. And of course, Fredrik went right to his instrument case and pulled out the D string envelope he brought on tour with him. But guess what? While there was a string in the D string envelope, lo and behold, it was not actually a D string. (Note for next tour: check inside the envelopes before packing them away in your instrument case.)

Now what? Perform with three strings? Not really an option. Performing with three members of a string quartet? Also, not a great option. With the audience getting a little anxious to get the second half of the concert to start and a cello with only three strings, what’s an Executive Director to do? Well, fortunately in my many years in the business I have developed a lot of contacts in the music world and one of my most valued relationships is with cellist Hamilton Cheifetz, who, among other things, teaches our Inside Chamber Music appreciation class every spring. I’ll call Hamilton! He’ll know what to do. Well, the music gods were looking out for us that night because as Hamilton answered my phone call he was actually walking into Lincoln Hall after spending the evening at a student performance. And of course, he had an extra D string which he was happy to offer Fredrik. After an extra-long intermission we were back in business. Whew! Another crisis avoided.

Jump forward a month and time for more drama. We started out February 22 with an out-of-commission printer making it necessary for me to take a trip to Office Depot to make copies of our Chanticleer text and translations program insert. Not really relevant to this story, but our ticket printer also decided to give it up that day, so let me just say I was in no mood for the snow that started coming down that afternoon. And boy, did it come down. And let me tell you, those copiers at Office Depot are fast, but not fast enough. By the time I left, there was snarled traffic everywhere and the snow was already deep which made it pretty much impossible to drive. Fast forward five hours (yes, you read that right – FIVE hours) and I’ve only been able to travel two miles. My last hope of getting on Highway 26 toward home was dashed as more stalled cars were lining the entrance ramps. Now what? Again, a music friend comes to the rescue. I abandoned my car in a parking lot downtown, hiked up to Terwilliger Plaza, and knocked on the door of a former FOCM board member where I spent the night safe and warm in his guest bedroom. All’s well that ends well, and now my dear friend has a great story to tell at the Plaza about how he spent the night with FOCM’s Executive Director!

Of course, the story doesn’t actually end there because we had to cancel the Chanticleer concert two days later because of the snow. But that’s for another time.

Oct 2022: Board vs. Bored

While I have worked with boards of directors for more than 30 years as an Executive Director, my time on the other side of the fence as a board member myself, has actually been very limited. That’s all changing this year as I have recently had the honor of being elected to the board of Chamber Music America (CMA). I attended my first CMA board meeting recently and what a great reminder it was of the important part board members play in the success of an organization — as if I didn’t already know that about our terrific FOCM board!  But what also struck me were the similarities between the FOCM and CMA boards.

People often ask me what we look for in a prospective FOCM board member and my first response is always that one has to have a passion for chamber music. I think the same is true about being a CMA board member and I have no doubt I passed that test with flying colors.  But of course, there is more to being a board member than that passion. Being a board member certainly means you are willing to make a financial commitment to the organization (after all, money talks, right?) and both CMA and FOCM ask that board members make annual contributions. There is no minimum amount for either board — and definitely no maximum allowable amount! 

While that financial commitment is extremely important, overseeing the finances of the organization is really the primary responsibility of both boards (and really, any non-profit board). That means more than just rubber stamping a budget once a year.  We’re talking true oversight — asking questions about financial matters you might not understand, asking for clarification about line items that seem nebulous, actually doing the math on financial reports to make sure things add up. Board members act as trustees of the organization’s assets and it is up to them to ensure the organization is well-managed. That’s a lot of responsibility!

Another important role for any non-profit board member is acting as an advocate for your organization. That means keeping yourself fully informed about what’s happening with the organization — and then talking up the organization with any and all people who are willing to listen!  If you know me at all, you know my favorite subject to talk about is chamber music, so I think I’m well suited for that responsibility.

The CMA board meets just three times a year and the FOCM board only five times a year. What that means is that there is a lot of work being done in committees in between those board meetings, and members of both boards are expected to serve on one or more committees.  While some of the CMA committees may have a different focus than the FOCM committees, their ultimate responsibility is the same: make recommendations to the full board on matters related to the mission of the organizations.

I’ve just begun my 3-year term on the CMA board, but so far I’m definitely seeing more similarities with the FOCM board than differences.  One thing is for certain — things are never dull in the chamber music world, so I’m pretty sure “board” members of either organization never get “bored!”

Jul 2022: Pat's Picks for 2022-23

So many choices, so little time. That’s the dilemma when you look at all the concerts FOCM has to offer next season, right?  People often ask me, “if you just had time for three concerts, which ones would YOU choose?” Well, definitely one size does not fit all when it comes to the answer to that question, but here are a few thoughts from my perspective.

Are you fairly new to chamber music?
Then I might suggest the youthful energy of the Heath Quartet performing one of the most powerful string quartet pieces in the repertoire on October 17:  Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden.”  Add to that the Martinu Quartet’s November 13 program that includes my all-time favorite piece of music, Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81.  And to finish off your series, how about including some folk inspired music with Dreamers’ Circus?

Think all chamber music is 300 years old and wish you could hear something newer?
Then, you definitely need to hear Bang on a Can All-Stars’ program that includes nine newly commissioned pieces of music. Chanticleer’s “Labyrinths” program would be a nice complement to that since it includes a new commission by Chicago-based composer Ayanna Woods, as well as other newer works. And what about the Modigliani Quartet’s program on April 4 that includes a piece by Mark-Anthony Turnage written in 2020, along with Beethoven’s Op. 130, which was definitely considered “new music” in his day — and still sounds that way to some folks today!

Even though the string quartet is the quintessential chamber music ensemble, would you like to hear some other instrumentation?
Well, you are going to see percussion, clarinets, and guitar on stage with Bang on a Can All-Stars, accordion and Nordic cittern with Dreamers’ Circus — and you won’t see a single stringed instrument all night at Trio Mediæval’s concert!

But then, there is nothing like immersing yourself in one composer for a whole week.
If you think that’s up your alley then you’ll want to sign up for all five of the Martinů Quartet’s programs as part of the Dvořák Festival in November.

Of course, for variety you can’t beat just closing your eyes and choosing one concert from each of our Classic, Not So Classic, and Vocal Arts Series.

Whatever you choose, there is no wrong answer.

Mar 2022: Contemporary Music

“Why doesn’t FOCM program more contemporary music?” That was a question posed to me by a patron at a recent concert.  At the very same concert, another patron asked “Why does FOCM program SO MUCH contemporary music?”

Well, I think we figured out some time ago that our programming was never going to please everyone all the time. But those questions on that particular night — which were reactions to a piece that was on that program — made me think more about how much FOCM does or doesn’t program contemporary music.

I decided to look back at our programming for the last five years before the pandemic.  Of course, even defining what “contemporary” means can be controversial, but for my little research project I decided to use the “Contemporary Music Period” definition which includes anything composed from 1945 to present.
From 2015 to 2020 we presented 83 concerts on our Classic, Not So Classic, and Vocal Arts Series.  Fifty-eight of those programs (almost 70%) included at least one contemporary piece, and some included several contemporary works. FOCM was a co-commissioner of one of those works (James Lee III’s Trio No. 2 “Temple Visions” for the Montrose Trio) and two of those works were brand new commissioned premieres (Julia Wolf’s “Splendid Hopes” cello quintet for the Pacifica Quartet and Tyshawn Sorey’s “Cycles of My Being” for Lawrence Brownlee).

Is that too much contemporary music?  Is that not enough?  I’m pretty sure there are as many answers to that question as there are people in our audience.  I think I can say with confidence that you are always going to hear plenty of Beethoven and Haydn on our stages, but you are also going to hear plenty of unfamiliar and new works. Some music you’ll like.  Some, maybe not so much.  But as John Birge reminds us daily on Composers Datebook, “all music was once new.”

Dec 2021: Surprise!

I don’t normally like surprises.  That shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me.  I’m way too structured and controlling for that. But, November 13, 2021 will go down in history as the biggest surprise of my life, and it actually turned out to be one of the most amazing and memorable nights in all my 30 years with FOCM.

On hearing the story of my surprise 30th anniversary celebration, people invariably ask two questions.  One: “Were you surprised, really?” — a big YES to that one.  The other question: “How did they get you to the party without you knowing what was going on?”  The answer to that question is more complicated.

It all started with an invitation from (son) Rian and (daughter-in-law) Leslie for (husband) John and me to join them for dinner.  Leslie received a gift card from a real estate client to a restaurant on the east side.  Would we like to join them Saturday night?  Sure! Leslie and our two granddaughters will already be on the eastside that day, so can we pick up Rian and meet them at the restaurant. No problem.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, that original plan never involved us ever being at an actual restaurant. Rian would just direct us into the parking lot of the party venue, while Leslie and the granddaughters would wait patiently at the venue with the other guests. So far, so good. Until five minutes before our ETA when Leslie realized we were going to arrive 30 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. Whoops!  Quick change of plans.

Now, can we meet Leslie at the restaurant, but sorry, the restaurant is busy and they won’t have a table ready for 30 minutes, and the granddaughters are with Leslie’s mom and she’ll be dropping them off at the restaurant.  No problem. We can have a margarita while we wait.  All seemed perfectly logical and normal for our family.

Thirty minutes later, another change in plans. The restaurant isn’t going to have a table available for at least another 40 minutes and Leslie’s mother wants to meet us at a nearby parking lot to drop the girls off instead of coming to the restaurant. No problem. We can pick up the girls at the parking lot and go to a different, less busy restaurant for dinner.

As we pull into the parking lot I see Leslie’s mother coming out of a building. Again, perfectly logical and normal; she must have had to use the restroom so she went inside the building, right? Only a fleeting moment of puzzlement as Leslie said to me “you’re going to want to come in here.”

Thirdy seconds later I hear the strains of the “Cabaret” song sung by a roomful of people, only the words are all about me.  SURPRISE!

Sept 2021: A Breakdancing Countertenor?

Raising two teenage boys in the 1980s and 1990s, I became more than familiar with breakdancing and actually developed a great appreciation for this art form. But who would have thought that years later my career in arts management would intersect with breakdancing? Well, that’s exactly what will happen this March when FOCM presents an award-winning breakdancer on our Vocal Arts Series!

Jakub Józef Orliński jumped to the top of my vocalist wish list a couple of years ago when he was named Gramophone’s 2019 “Young Artist of the Year,” but you might actually say he became “famous” two years earlier in 2017 when his video performing Vivaldi’s “Vedrò con mio diletto” went viral. Yes, you heard that right, a Baroque classical music video went viral!

I started watching some stunning recordings of this amazing singer, and I have to admit that one of the things that intrigued me was learning that Orliński was an accomplished breakdancer. Not only that, I discovered he had landed modeling contracts with Nike and Levi’s, was the subject of a major profile in The New Yorker, and had been featured on the cover of Polish Vogue magazine. His bio definitely does not read like a typical classical music singer!

Orliński says his two personas make sense, since Baroque music was pop music in that time and singers of long ago were like the pop stars of today. Most importantly though, he finds his interest in hip-hop and breakdancing a perfect way to relate to young people so that he can introduce them to the world of classical music.

As fascinating as his interest in hip-hop and breakdancing is, what totally sold me on Orliński the singer, was a 2019 review by Opera Magazine that cut right to the chase: “Orliński is the real countertenor deal, one of the best I’ve heard on the operatic (or any other) stage.”

I can’t promise that Orliński will be performing any breakdance moves during his recital on March 17, but I’m told he often warms up backstage with a few backflips.  I’ll be sure to take videos if I’m lucky enough to catch that. Who knows, maybe this will be the first FOCM video to go viral!

Jun 2021: Tour de Force

“Does this hard hat match my outfit?”  I’m not sure I ever expected to utter those words, but that’s exactly what I asked when two FOCM board members and I joined a tour of the new Patricia Reser Center for the Arts recently. Thanks to our tour guide PRCA’s Executive Director Chris Ayzoukian, hard hats, safety vests, and gloves were all provided (actually, required) and clearly the color of choice was fluorescent green.

Bet you can’t tell which one of these lovelies is me!

How excited am I about the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, the first performing arts center of its kind to be built in the Portland metro area in more than 30 years?  On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say my excitement is pretty much a 15!!
Not only is this going to be the perfect chamber music hall (550 seats), but it’s also situated in a fabulous setting along the Beaverton Creek and right on the MAX line in central Beaverton, a quick hop and skip from downtown Portland.  If you prefer to drive, they’ve got that covered too, with a parking garage right next door.
The beautifully crafted building includes an art gallery, a gorgeous lobby enveloped in Douglas Fir, and an arts plaza adjacent to the Creek.

The performance hall is wonderfully intimate, with no seat farther than 65 feet from the stage.

The PRCA is on target to complete construction by the end of 2021, with events beginning as early as March 2022.  And guess what one of the first events will be?  You guessed it:  Tambuco Percussion Ensemble on April 24 as part of our Not So Classic Series. Rest assured, hard hats will not be required to attend that concert, nor fluorescent green vests.

Feb 2021: Musicial Misadventures

I’m pretty sure video production was never part of my job description — until this year. But this year is like no other, and we are all taking on roles that we were barely aware of before COVID. It’s been gratifying to hear so many positive comments about our virtual concerts this season. Along with those comments, I’ve received many questions about how these concerts actually come to fruition, so I thought I would give you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing our virtual concerts. In a nutshell — a lot!

Many of our ensembles are quarantining themselves for weeks before they can even get together to rehearse. Once they can gather, face masks and social distancing protocols definitely add challenges to their rehearsals. Then, before they can even start to plan a performance recording they need to secure a concert venue — not an easy thing since most concert halls are not open right now. Once they are lucky enough to find an available hall, they are tasked with hiring a crew experienced in creating high-quality audio/visual productions, including multi-camera video work and meticulous post-production work.

But the work doesn’t stop there. Since we wanted to give our audiences a glimpse into the personalities of our visiting artists, we decided to include interviews with the performances.  No problem, you say? Just record a conversation on Zoom, right?  Wrong!  As much as I wish I had bought stock in Zoom years ago, when it comes to producing reliable high-quality video and audio, Zoom falls short of our standards.  These days, smart phones actually do a far superior job of recording video, so that’s why we ask our artists to record our Q&A sessions on their individual smart phones.

While that may sound simple and straightforward, I can assure you there are numerous ways a simple interview can go awry. For starters, in case you think everyone under the age of 60 owns a “smart phone,” I can now attest that is not true. And I can also attest to the fact that old flip phones do not record video.

While we suggest that a plain background is best for our interview videos, we have had our share of video footage showing plants that appear to be growing out of an artist’s head. Not to mention tops of heads cut off in images and chins resting on the bottom of the frame. And in case you’ve heard some strange sounds in the background of our interviews, let me introduce you to my cat, ZeeZee.

But so far, the interview that topped them all was one in which I double-checked with all the artists that they had indeed pushed the record button on their smart phones before we began, and then, after the interview was completed I realized that I had not pushed my own record button! Since it was not possible to get the artists together for a re-do, I had to recreate my side of the interview (this time after making sure I had pushed the record button), pretending I was reacting to everything the artists said without actually having the artists present.  I can tell you this gave me more appreciation for actors who create one-person shows – and confirmed for me that I don’t have a future as an actor!

Once we have all the recorded individual parts of our virtual concerts, that’s when the magic happens, thanks to our video producer, Dmitri von Klein. Somehow he puts all those images (which may or may not include chopped-off heads) and audio (that may or may not have recorded properly) and music (that may or may not have been the program we were expecting) — and turns it all into the beautiful presentations you have been enjoying.

Rest assured, we will keep working on making our virtual concerts better and better for you in the coming days, but you should know that all the while, what I’m really looking toward to is the day when I can welcome you from the stages of our concert halls at a live concert.

Nov 2020: Take that, Wimbledon!

What? Did I hear that right? Tennis has a Poet Laureate?

I was so intrigued with NPR’s story back in 2010 about Wimbledon appointing its own Poet Laureate . . . but of course, my next thought was:  if tennis can have a Poet Laureate, why can’t chamber music?

Thus was born the idea of FOCM’s first (and so far, only) Poet Laureate, Margaret (Maggie) Chula.

Maggie, an accomplished poet and lover of classical music, quickly adapted to her new role as FOCM’s poet-in-residence. With pen, notebook, and flashlight in hand, she slipped into her seat in the last row of the concert hall and jotted down notes during the concerts, reacting and responding to the music she heard. According to Maggie, she did her best to ignore everything but the music, focusing on “sounds, rhythms, and the interplay among the musicians.” Since none of the poems she created for FOCM dealt with a coughing audience, I can only assume she was successful in creating a zen-like mood to allow her creativity to bloom.

Once home, Maggie turned her scribbled notes into written works of art reflecting on the music she had just heard, sometimes creating a scene from a musical era, sometimes unfolding a story, sometimes conjuring up abstract emotions.

FOCM’s charge to Maggie was to produce one poem from each of the concerts she attended, but her pen knew no boundaries.  It was not unusual for her to produce four, five, or six poems from a single concert — writing a poem to each piece. We happily shared Maggie’s poems with our audience through newsletters, blog posts, and emails, all the while proudly boasting the distinction of being the only chamber music organization with its own Poet Laureate (at least as far as we knew).

By the time Maggie “retired” as FOCM’s Poet Laureate in 2013, she had produced a virtual treasure trove of poems inspired by our concerts. We owe huge thanks to her for gracing FOCM with her talent and creativity during those years.

But the story doesn’t stop there.  Finishing Line Press recently published One Last Scherzo, a charming collection of Maggie’s favorite poems from her time as FOCM’s Poet Laureate. Each poem notes the piece of music that was her inspiration, and the compilation includes a lovely preface of how the book came to be.

Take that, Wimbledon! Clearly, you are no match for FOCM (pun intended).

More about One Last Scherzo
 
I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE IN A ROTHKO PAINTING

By Margaret Chula

like ocher, settling lightly upon brown earth
seeded with light. Like aquamarine blue
sinking into a sea of violet.

I will live in an orange house with a yellow roof
and peach trees growing in the orchard. Hang
my red slip on a clothesline at twilight.

I will lick rectangles of color papering my walls,
layers of tangerine and sweet vanilla. Burn
my throat on strips of alizarin red.
I will drink from a black cup that never empties.
Sit in front of a fire and breathe in the coal-gray
scent of charcoal as flames burn through it.

I will slip inside the caress of a beige blanket,
curl up on saffron pillows, and dream of
translucent bottles holding no fragrance.

Inside the Rothko painting, I will listen
to maroon walls sing beneath the blackest
windows while I watch the sun set
behind my two-dimensional life.

Franz Joseph Haydn, Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4 “Sunrise”

Feb 2020: CMA (No, I’m not talking about the Country Music Awards)

Well, if it’s not the Country Music Awards, then what is CMA? And why would I travel to New York in January to attend the CMA conference? Well, there is only one thing that would make me brave the frigid temperatures and constant threat of snow in New York City in January.  You guessed it: CHAMBER MUSIC!  Yes, the annual Chamber Music America (CMA) conference happens every January in New York, right in the heart of Times Square. I talked in a previous “Chat with Pat” about the artistic process at Friends of Chamber Music. Well, this conference figures big in our process. 

The CMA conference is nirvana for all of us chamber music nerds. It’s a mix of chamber music presenters (like FOCM), chamber music musicians, and chamber music booking agents, so everywhere you turn there is chamber music, chamber music, chamber music.

This year my trip was double the pleasure, as one of my board members attended with me. Over the 3-day conference we had face-to-face meetings with at least 28 different booking agents hearing about all the latest chamber music projects, touring schedules, and new ensembles on the scene. On top of that we heard at least 15 different chamber music performances. And what’s a conference without keynote speakers right? CMA had some doozies including NEA Chairman Mary Anne Carter and Grammy-winning composer Joan Tower. But wait, that’s not all!  There were luncheons and receptions and a boat-load of workshops, sessions, and panels, mostly focused on the conference theme of “Music, Equity, and Our Future.”

It was an intense and draining three days, but full disclosure in case you thought the trip was all work and no play. I had time to squeeze in Broadway performances of West Side Story (enjoyable) and To Kill a Mockingbird (exceptional!).

Nov 2019: 7 Things You Might Not Know About Pat

As much as FOCM is central to my existence, believe it or not, I had a life before FOCM and even have a life outside of FOCM. Someone suggested that I share a little of that life, so here you go!

• I collect giraffes (not the live ones). The pride and joy of my extensive collection is my giraffe-themed Christmas tree that boasts over 70 different giraffe ornaments.  And no, I’ve never been to Africa, although everyone tells me I should go.

• I have played piano since age 9 and recently fulfilled my dream of owning a Steinway B piano. I play chamber music regularly with the Trillium Piano Quartet, named after the trilliums that grow in my yard.

• I had a small sewing business for 10 years called Denim Designs which manufactured children’s clothing and gifts. The highlight of my small business career was a major order I received from Nordstrom. The low point of my small business career was spending hours in the cold exhibiting my wares at the Portland Saturday Market.

• I’m possibly the only Portland native who doesn’t drink coffee. I’ve actually never drunk a full cup of coffee in my life. Good thing our FOCM concerts are in the afternoon or evening so I have a chance to wake up!

• My sister is an award-winning author, Molly Gloss. We are often asked if we are twins, but I would like to point out that I’m the baby sister.

• To celebrate a “significant” birthday I trained for a year and then competed in the Portland Marathon in the racewalk division. I didn’t finish last. •I’ve been Executive Director of FOCM for 28 years; it was my dream job in 1991 and it’s still my dream job.

Jun 2019: Behind the Curtain

I’m often asked what it’s like to work closely with world famous artists and I always answer a resounding “it’s great!”  But that doesn’t mean our staff doesn’t deal with a few challenges behind the curtain . . .

Most of our FOCM artists are far from “divas,” but we have had occasional requests like the time we were asked to provide a black limo and a limo driver to transport artists one block between the hotel and the concert hall.  FYI, they made do with a 20-year-old bordeaux-red Mercedes Benz and a driver who doubled as the ticket seller.

And there was a contract rider that required us to provide a bowl of M&M’s backstage — blue ones only please! We actually loved seeing that, viewing it as validation that classical music was finally on a par with the rock music world. And besides, who do you think got to eat the non-blue M&M’s?

Meeting artists at the airport is always fun and sometimes surprising, especially the time I was introduced to a tiny dog in a carrier as “Aunt Pattie” even before the artist introduced himself. The adorable pooch proceeded to accompany this artist everywhere, including back stage during the performance. Not a peep was heard from our friend, even in the most pianissimo musical moments.

Last minute dashes for food to keep up our artists’ energy is a common occurrence, but one request sticks in my mind:  a pianist who had a ritual of always eating Kentucky Fried Chicken right before a concert. Fortunately, we had plenty of napkins on hand. But in case you ever wondered, it’s not that easy to find a KFC close to Lincoln Hall.

And then there was a singer who required a “dresser.”  While dressers may be the norm in the opera world, believe me, this was a first for us in the chamber music world. We did our best by supplying a steamer and our Community Engagement Coordinator to operate the steamer, but we drew the line at hovering in the wings with a towel ready to wipe the singer’s brow.  The performance was, however, wrinkle free in every way.

Our artists are nothing if not tenacious, and a little stomach flu doesn’t stop them from getting out on that stage. Even if it means requesting a bucket to be placed strategically off stage, just in case. Yes, that happened, but fortunately, the bucket was not used!

We always try to take good care of our artists, but our Operations Manager went above and beyond with one particular artist, basically being on call 24/7 as his personal valet. She ended up accompanying him to every meal, packing his suitcases late at night after the concert, and then turning around and picking him up at the crack of dawn for a return trip to the airport.

As you can see, there is always something new and different going on behind the curtain. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mar 2019: What? You don’t have an Artistic Director?

Ever wonder how FOCM keeps coming up with such an incredible roster of artists year after year? Especially when you realize that we don’t have (and have never had) an Artistic Director? Let me just say up front that FOCM’s history speaks for itself. For the last 80 years we have consistently presented some of the finest chamber ensembles in the world to Portland audiences — so our process must be working, right?

The bottom line is that final artistic decisions rest with the entire FOCM board (yes, we’re talking 17-19 people!). Our board members bring a wealth of musical knowledge to this process, although not all our board members are musicians or have a music education background.  What they do all have, though, is a passion for chamber music. They listen. They read. They observe. And many travel extensively, so they have a chance to hear chamber musicians from all around the world.

Back in the day (and, yes, my tenure goes back quite a few days, to 1991) FOCM only offered a Classic Series with five ensembles, and there weren’t so many touring chamber groups to choose from back then, so things were a lot simpler. But then we added the Not So Classic Series in 1999 and the Vocal Arts Series in 2007, and that made our artistic process a bit more complicated. So, at that point we formed an Artistic Committee. But here’s the catch, any FOCM board member can be on the Artistic Committee if they choose — and since it’s considered the “fun” committee — you can bet that almost every Board member gets in on the fun!

How do I, as Executive Director, fit into this artistic process? Well, I actually play a pretty big role, too. I spend a good deal of time listening to and researching chamber ensembles. If our Artistic Committee members were to research every possible ensemble out there, they would have little time for anything else in their lives. So, I do a lot of that work. I filter. Sometimes a lot.

I might start with a list of 50 string quartets and end up bringing the Artistic Committee a list of 10 to choose from for our next season, including groups that board members might suggest. That’s when the committee really gets to work, scrutinizing ensembles online, reading reviews (the good and perhaps more importantly, the bad), researching ensemble histories, and listening to CDs. We also consider board and staff detailed evaluations of ensembles we have presented in the past. And of course, we have to consider our budget, ensemble touring schedules, and hall availability.

Then we all get in a room together and amazingly, after some lively debate (over several meetings), we arrive at a consensus about which ensembles to invite for the next season. And the most amazing thing is that we all end up friends, even after the most heated artistic discussions! There are a lot of positive things I can say about FOCM board members, but one of the most important is that they are extremely respectful of each other’s opinions, and they are all team players. They trust in the collective wisdom of this board to come up with a fabulous roster, and time and time again that’s what we’ve done.

Nov 2018: Baptism by Fire

The date was March 15, 1991, a few days before the very first concert I was to oversee in my new role as Executive Director of FOCM. Contracts signed, ushers recruited, hall reserved, programs printed —and then the dreaded call came at 5:30 pm that Friday night. The Takács Quartet, scheduled to perform the following Monday and Tuesday, would not be able to travel to Portland due to an illness of one of the members.

After some initial high-pitched squealing in my husband’s ear along the lines of “what in the world am I going to do?” and “how could this happen to me?” I pulled myself together and set to work on finding a solution. Cancelling my first concert as Executive Director was not an option, so that meant finding a substitute ensemble. How hard can that be, right? Well, I suddenly remembered that the majority of professional chamber ensembles are represented by New York-based managements — and that meant those offices had all closed three hours earlier and would not reopen again until Monday morning. Remember, this was 1991, way before cell phones!

“But wait!” I thought . . .my Board President, Betty Cramer Perkins (now Betty Frisbee) has a daughter who manages top notch chamber ensembles and she lives on the West Coast. More importantly, I have a way to get her home phone number. Voila! A few phone calls back and forth, and the Colorado String Quartet arrived Monday morning to deliver two memorable concerts for FOCM. Fast forward a few years, and ironically, who do you think started managing the Takács Quartet (and has continued to manage them for the last 22 years)? None other than Betty’s daughter, Seldy Cramer, who helped us find the Takács substitute all those years ago.

Thanks to my “baptism by fire” some 27 years ago, most of my Executive Director problems these days seem like a walk in the park.